San Mateo County: Nymphal Tick Surveillance

Entomology Report May 2007, San Mateo County Mosquito Abatement District

Testing nymphs, the juvenile stage, is an integral part of the Lyme disease surveillance program. Their extremely small, hard to see, size of this stage contributes to their role in transmission of Lyme disease. Nymphs are collected by dragging white flannel sheets over forest floors with dense leaf litter, the preferred habitat of nymphal ticks. Lab and field staff regularly monitor, collect, and test ticks in these areas to determine prevalence of Lyme disease in nymphal ticks. So far, surveys for nymphs have been carried out in Los Trancos Woods, Costanoa Resort in Pescadero, Skyline Ridge Open Space, Edgewood Park in Redwood City and Laurelwood Park in San Mateo.

Previous related entries:

San Mateo County: Tick Flagging with Santa Clara County Vector Control District, April 2007

Orange County: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Confirmed in County Park

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever confirmed in County park, Orange County Vector Control District

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever confirmed in County park. A Pacific Coast Tick, Dermacentor occidentalis that was collected in Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park tested positive for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF). Orange County Vector Control District (OCVCD) collected the tick on January 29, 2007 as part of an ongoing surveillance program. Samples were submitted to the California Department of Health Services (DHS), although the actual testing was done by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The District received confirmation on the positive tick from DHS on, March 30, 2007.

Los Angeles County West: Locations of Lyme Positive Ticks

Locations of Lyme Positive Ticks, Los Angeles County West Vector Control District

Map:
Sites where ticks positive for Lyme disease bacterium have been found in the district

Charmlee Park
Malibu Creek State Park
Tapia State Park
Topanga State Park
Will Rogers State Park
Palos Verdes Estates - Bluff Cove
Rolling Hills - Purple Canyon Trail